Thursday, August 22, 2013

The biblical story
of David and Goliath is familiar to most of us and is embedded deeply
within our cultural psyche. David, the underdog, the short man armed with
only a sling took on “uncircumcised” and armored Goliath, the
Philistine giant. It seems that from the onset everyone assumed David
to get his ass kicked and that he must have been suicidal or
“lebensmuede” (tired of living) to even think
about getting into a fight with this giant.

This rooting for the
good guy underdog who eventually - seemingly against all odds - wins
the fight has been exploited countless times in our modern culture.
You may think of Rocky who manages to get the win despite the fact
that most of the time his opponents look stronger and are probably
more experienced.

We see this
phenomenon frequently in sports where the unfavored
team shows heart and stamina and causes a major upset by winning
unexpectedly. All of this may predate to the legendary battle of
shifty David and haughty Goliath. But my question is was David really
the underdog?

This question would
have never crossed my mind had not my friend and colleague Enrico T.
- an Econ instructor with substantial knowledge, ideas and a Spanish
name to boot - brought up the topic with me during one of our
classroom breaks from teaching. While quickly munching on my
peanut-butter sandwich in the instructor's room (I usually skip
breakfast in the early mornings and the break is short) I let the
sandwich digest in my belly and the ideas ferment in my mind.

His theory goes that
contrary to popular belief it was Goliath who should be deemed the
real underdog. He must have been at a decisive disadvantage due to
his size and stature. Think about it. He would definitely lack
ability and flexibility and would come up flat-footed compared to the
quick and fleet-footed David. Cartoon images come to mind when the
giant tries to grab the dwarf who escapes between his legs and runs
to and fro driving the giant crazy and perhaps make him stumble and
fall flat on his face.

Also if you think
about athletics and health, Goliath would equally be at a
disadvantage. In most sports, with the definite exception of
basketball sticking out like a sore thumb, athletes who are too tall
cannot perform as well as those who may be of short or average
height. Which players come to mind when we think about soccer?
Maradona and Pelé who are not known for their height.

The same happens
with physical ailments. In fact, their gigantic size is often caused
by a tumor in the brain. Due to their immense size, the organs of
giants have to work harder putting a significant strain on the health
of these people, including their blood circulatory system. It may
come as no surprise that the life expectancy of giants tends to be
lower than that of other people.

We also know that
David was good with his slingshot, not to mention that he had
previously slain a lion and bear with his bare hands. In this way, he
could have easily done serious damage to the giant Goliath. The
latter would have had a hard time to duck, let alone catch this
little springy guy who had a devil of a shot with his pebble hitting
Goliath right between the eyes. Moreover, Goliath was also
additionally burdened with his armor, large shield, and heavy spear.

So there you have
it. What may have seemed as a definite battle to lose on the side of
David is in fact a decisive advantage for shorty. He won the battle
fair and square, but all things considered, it was his to win in the
first place. It was Goliath who was the real underdog, the David
of the account, and hardly the other way around.

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